The present invention relates to callapsible campers of the type having a rigid roof member which is collapsible onto a base when the camper or trailer is to be converted into compact form as when it is to be transported from one location to another while hitched to the back of a vehicle.
As is well known, camping has become one of the most popular pastimes in recent years especially with families. It is thus commonplace for an entire family to travel across the country stopping at roadside areas particularly designated for the parking of campers or trailers or at other suitable campsites where the family can spend the night. Once at such a campsite the camper is converted from its collapsed to an erected condition by raising the roof member to afford cover and privacy. At such times the beds or bunks are withdrawn from their retracted position which is generally within the base or wall panels of the camper and are set up for sleeping. As will be appreciated, the camper not only carries the beds in stored position but also cabinet space, seating, a stove, a sink, and other utilities required for everyday living by the family. It will be apparent that space within the camper structure is at a premium, and the need to devote space for the storage of the beds or bunks within the base or wall panels thereof consequently reduces the availability of the existing space for the other facilities which might otherwise advantageously occupy the areas taken by the beds. Although various expedients have been resorted to in an attempt to minimize the amount of space required for storage of the beds the commonly accepted solution has been to provide for retraction of the beds into recesses formed in the wall panels of the base or within the dinette area beneath the roof member when it is in its collapsed condition. Such prior attempts to resolve the space problem have thus been not altogether satisfactory and have not led to optimum utilization of the available space within the camper. A typical known collapsible camper or trailer construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,583,755 issued June 8, 1971 to Robert T. Hedrick, Jr.